Scents are widely used in the outdoors industry and especially related to the hunting of large game. Typically, these scents are used for the purpose of attracting wild game such as, for example, whitetail deer, or to mask or otherwise reduce human odor so as to make a hunter harder for an animal to detect.
Representative scent products that are readily available from outdoor retailers include liquids made from natural doe urine and glandular secretions harvested from living deer. Suppliers of these liquid scent products include companies such as Tinks and Hunter Specialties. These scent products are typically packaged in glass or plastic bottles and can be cumbersome and messy when carried into the field and can be difficult to apply in certain desirable locations. Furthermore, the natural elements utilized in these liquid scents undergo instant changes at the molecular level when harvested and/or packaged for retail sales. These changes can include the breakdown of urine into ammonia and other byproducts that can reduce their effectiveness in the field. In addition, these liquid products possess a limited shelf life and are usually discarded after the relevant season.
Another representative product uses natural doe urine but then freeze dries the urine into a powdered form. While this freeze dried product can avoid the messiness and shelf life issues associated with conventional liquid products, prior to freeze drying, the natural doe urine similarly undergo natural molecular changes instantly upon collection that can reduce the effectiveness of the freeze dried powder.
Another downside with use of natural doe urine, either in liquid or powdered form, is the concern regarding the potential transmission of diseases and other maladies. For example, various locations have begun considering banning the use of natural doe urine to prevent the transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in the whitetail deer herd.
While there presently exist a number of scent-based products for the outdoors and hunting industry, there remains a need for additional effective measures that allow for combining elements and scent compounds for scent dispersal.